Proud and Prejudiced
by khay
Summary: Beck thought she was the quintessential Hollywood socialite who had too much: money, booze, drugs, free time. Jade thought he was the typical struggling actor: perpetually broke, undependable, always looking for the next big break that never comes. Boy, were they wrong about each other. Alternate Universe.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Proud and Prejudiced (Originally Bad as She Wanted to Be)

Author: khay

Category: Victorious

Rating: T because of Jade's potty mouth.

Disclaimer: Victorious and all related characters do not belong to me.

Summary: Beck thought she was the quintessential Hollywood socialite who had too much: money, booze, drugs, free time. Jade thought he was the typical struggling actor: perpetually broke, undependable, always looking for the next big break that never comes. Boy, were they wrong about each other.

Continuity: Alternate Universe.

Author's Notes: For Lari (tsttoain) who wanted a fic where Beck babysits Jade. My goal in life is to finish this in time for your birthday :) Keep your fingers crossed!

*This was posted as** Bad as She Wanted to Be** on Tumblr, but I' changing the title now because the story went in a totally different direction than I originally planned. Don't worry, though. Jade is still going to be as bad as she wants to be :)

...

**Proud and Prejudiced**

...

"And, cut!" David Vega, Hollywood director extraordinaire, shouted gleefully. "Great job, Beck. You definitely have the potential to be the next big thing."

After years of hard work and untold sacrifices, things were finally falling into place for Beck Oliver.

After the high-rating _teen_ show he co-starred in for three years was canceled by the kid network that was showing it, he bounced around for a couple of months, going to auditions and shooting guest spots in different TV series before he was finally cast in the most recent film David Vega was shooting.

Beck Oliver just had a minor (but oh, so important) role in David Vega's movie. Unfortunately, it was Beck's last day on set, having just shot his last scene. He had high hopes, though. David had the habit of casting actors he liked in his movies over and over. It was also no secret that David had a falling out with his last _It Boy_, Ryder Daniels. It was also common knowledge that David was tapped to write and direct the much-anticipated screen adaptation of a best selling paranormal-slash-romance novel that had captured the hearts of tween girls everywhere. The title role would have gone to Ryder had he been in good terms with David, but now, the part of the hero was fair game. It was a sure bet that whoever got cast would be well on his way to becoming a certified Hollywood A-lister.

Like other actors of his station, Beck Oliver wanted that role. He also felt confident that he had a higher chance than most to get the role: not only was he a well-known personality to kids and teens and everyone in between because of the show he had starred in, he had impressed David Vega during this movie's shoot. So, yes, the odds were high that he would get a part, if not the lead, in the new movie.

"Wait, before you go change, quick question," David grinned. "You're eighteen, right?"

"Just turned nineteen a few weeks ago." Beck replied, trying to contain his excitement. This may be it: an offer for a role, or at least, an invitation to audition.

David laughed as he slapped Beck heartily on the back. "That's great. Listen, I need a favor to ask."

Beck's spirits lowered a bit. A favor? It sounded like David was not asking him to star in his next movie _yet. _"Sure. What can I do for you?"

"My daughter is flying over from New York tomorrow night. I was supposed to pick her up tomorrow night and show her around Hollywood. But, as you know, shooting's days off schedule. I was hoping maybe you could take her out instead of me? She might appreciate going out with someone her own age instead of a dinosaur like me."

Beck grinned, his spirits lifting. He knew David's daughter, Tori Vega, having worked with her in a music video once before. She was a pop singer trying to make it big in America. She was nice, bubbly and fun to be with. Then there was the fact that if Beck played his cards right, Tori might give her dad a good word or two to help land him the role. "Sure, David. It'll be fun."

"Great!" David said, relieved. "That's a huge weight off my shoulders. My assistant will call you for Jade's flight details so you could make sure you get there on time. She's kind of a drama queen even if you're just a fraction of a second late."

"Wait, did you say Jade? Jade's the daughter I would pick up from the airport? Jade West?" Beck asked incredulously.

"Yes." David replied absently. Having fended off his fatherly duties to Beck, David had quickly lost interest in the conversation.

"Great," Beck muttered to himself, wondering what he had gotten himself into.

.

Jade West was used to the staring, pointing and whispering whenever she deigned to make a public appearance. That was her life as far back as she could remember. It got worse as she entered her teens and got labeled as the wild child. She didn't even know how that got started. Just because she liked wearing black, did not like smiling when her photos were taken, had a fascination with the macabre, cursed like a sailor, and generally marched to the beat of her own drum did not mean that she was evil or that she worshiped Satan.

(Okay, there was the incident when she got kicked out of her exclusive boarding school in Switzerland when she beat the shit out of a male upperclassman, but that was a one-time thing! And she felt that she had good reasons for doing that, though Lane, her therapist, would strongly disagree with her and would tell her to keep her temper in check.)

Everyone felt that their opinion of her was vindicated when she turned fourteen with the whole David Vega fiasco. But really, what teenaged girl would react differently after finding out that the man she alternately hated and sought the approval of wasn't even her father? (And by reacting differently, it meant running away from home in hopes of discovering the truth.) No one! Except maybe the golden girl, Tori Vega, who could do no wrong. Tori would probably approach her loving parents and pour out her feelings and ask her questions in a calm, rational manner, instead of lashing out, like Jade did.

So, yeah. Jade was used to the staring, and the pointing, and the whispering. (As well as the cameras people thought were surreptitiously hidden as they take a picture or a video of her.)

Today wasn't any different as she swaggered out the airport, her favorite messenger bag hooked around her shoulders.

She stopped suddenly when she noticed that her assistant was not anywhere near her. She turned around and decided to give the people a show. It may likely be the closest brush with fame some of them would ever experience.

"Sinjin!" She snarled. "Could you walk any slower?"

"Coming, my sweet!" Sinjin called out as he finally came into her view, glasses askew, lugging Jade's two huge Louis Vuitton suitcases, as well as his own overnight bag.

"Don't call me that," Jade told him with a death glare as she waited for him to draw beside her.

Sinjin was apparently glare-proof, as his only reaction was to give her a sickeningly sweet, adorably lovesick grin, complete with a head tilt that he probably thought was cute. (Of course, having known her since middle school, he knew when to be genuinely afraid of Jade.)

"Is daddy dearest picking us up?" She asked.

"Uh, let me check my phone," he mumbled as he struggled to get his phone from his back pocket without letting go of the luggage he was carrying. "Got it!" He shouted, triumphantly holding up the phone for all to see.

Jade just rolled her eyes at Sinjin's antics, too used to his awkwardness.

"Uh, here we go, a text from Mr. Vega's PA. He is asking for a rain check, he's in the middle of a shooting that's days behind schedule. But the PA said that a limo would pick us up and drive us to the hotel," Sinjin said. "Then, later tonight, Beck Oliver is going to pick you up and show you the sights."

Jade supposed she shouldn't be surprised that her father is ditching her (again). After all, majority of their conversations were done through their respective assistant.

"Gosh, does he mean Beck Oliver, the teen heartthrob?" Sinjin mused as he struggled once again, this time to put his phone back into his pocket.

"Should his name mean something to me?"

"Omigosh!" His eyes actually twinkled. "Beck Oliver plays Iñigo Baxter, the cool, hipster dude in _Hollywood Arts Confidential_, a hit television series from the _Orangesplat _channel which was unceremoniously cancelled in a desperate reformatting attempt to reach a broader demographic than its rival channel—"

"My god, Sinjin, shut up!" Jade snapped as she spun on her boot-clad heels. "No one above the age of nine is interested in kids' shows."

"I beg to differ!" Sinjin called out as he ran after Jade. "I'm twenty-one and I used to love that show. I even started a petition for it to have, at the very least, a proper ending."

Jade groaned but kept on walking, hoping that if she moved fast enough, she could outrun Sinjin's monologue.

...

The cursor was mocking him with its every blink on the blank search bar.

He must be a masochist. There was no other explanation for it. He told himself repeatedly that he should just shrug and let it go, but he can't.

It was like a train wreck; you just can't not look.

Pursing his lips he slowly typed _her _name and pressed enter.

_Jade West_.

Immediately, the search engine found a few thousand hits. Fan pages, web pages, photos, news articles, testimonials, rumors.

He looked at the photos first because, there was no question about it, Jade West was sizzling. Her eyes, her lips, her hair, her body, her legs, her skin all combined to make one explosive package that brought many a man to sin.

The only problem was that her reputation preceded her.

Beck began reading.

Jade West was described not only as beautiful, but also as wild, mean and weird. She lived her life as she wanted without offering any apologies or explanation. Despite her fascinating and newsworthy lifestyle, she abhorred media, ignored requests for interviews, led the paparazzi to wild goose chases, and laughed at social networking sites.

The more she shunned the world, though, the more the world was bewitched by her.

Perhaps, more than the wild parties, her rumored preference for older and richer men, and her bizarre alcohol and drug-induced behavior, perhaps what Jade West was famous for occurred nine months before her birth, and she didn't even have a direct hand in it.

It concerned a tale of love, unfaithfulness and illegitimacy.

Years ago, David Vega, an up and coming director who was married to a much-older, yet still very bankable, actress, and Holly, a starlet who was engaged to a struggling actor, met while shooting a made-for-TV-movie and fell in love. Because of their situation, their relationship started as a secret, revealed only after their elopement was bannered in gossip rags. The news tidbit was even more delicious by the birth of pretty little Victoria Vega a mere six months after their elopement.

The Vegas, however, soon settled into domesticity, and was once even touted as _The Ideal Hollywood Family_. David was the doting husband and father, putting his family above all else. Holly turned her back on her career to focus on raising (and later managing the career of) her daughter. Pretty, talented and perfectly nice Tori, who dreamed of becoming a pop star, was the perfect role model to young girls everywhere.

The image of the perfect family imploded four years ago when Jade West, the problem child of hotel mogul Arthur West and supermodel Rosanna, stepped into the scene. Only fourteen years old, and ugly rumors were already attached to her name. She had been said to be addicted to designer drugs, had been kicked out of at least three European boarding schools, had dated men at least twice her age, and had a habit of sneaking into wild parties to get high or drunk, or preferably both.

One fateful day years ago, fourteen-year old Jade had hunted down David Vega in his home in Hollywood while his wife and daughter were vacationing in Greece. A scandal of epic proportions broke out when a paparazzo caught Jade West leaving the Vega mansion at six in the morning. Everyone assumed the worst and there was a strong clamor for the police to investigate.

Things only calmed down a week later when a devastated Rossana and a supportive Arthur West had allowed themselves to be interviewed by a reporter. Rosanna admitted that Jade was not actually Arthur's daughter, but David's. Arthur was firm in saying that Jade was his daughter in all the ways that mattered, except for blood.

The fact that David's other daughter, Tori, was barely three months older than Jade did not escape the media (the most popular opinion was that David had one last fling on his stud party before he married Holly).

Holly filed for divorce, but later reconciled with David after undergoing couples counseling. Later, Tori Vega was interviewed where she said that she was hurt, but David was her father and she would forgive him eventually. She was also looking forward to getting to know the sister she never knew she had.

Nothing was heard from Jade West, who had went back to Europe, leaving others to clean up and deal with the mess she had created. She only came back to the US occasionally to model in glamorous ads for designer clothes and to party in exclusive clubs.

When Jade graduated high school at seventeen, she went to New York, where her mom and adoptive father were based, to get even more famous for being famous.

Now, Jade West was coming back to Hollywood.

Beck was so absorbed at what he was reading that he jerked in surprise when his phone sounded an alarm, his warning that he had to leave in ten minutes if he wanted to be on time in picking up Jade West.

With a dramatic groan befitting his stature as an actor, he shut off his computer and prayed to survive the encounter with the world's most photographed Bad Girl.

...

**To Be Continued**


	2. Chapter 2

Author: khay

Category: Victorious

Rating: T because of Jade's potty mouth.

Disclaimer: Victorious and all related characters do not belong to me.

Summary: Beck thought she was the quintessential Hollywood socialite who had too much: money, booze, drugs, free time. Jade thought he was the typical struggling actor: perpetually broke, undependable, always looking for then next big break that never comes. Boy, were they wrong about each other.

Continuity: Alternate Universe.

Author's Notes: For Lari (tsttoain) who wanted a fic where Beck babysits Jade. My goal in life is to finish this in time for her birthday :) Keep your fingers crossed!

*This was posted as **Bad as She Wanted to Be** on Tumblr, but I' changing the title now because the story went in a totally different direction than I originally planned. Don't worry, though. Jade is still going to be as bad as she wants to be :)

**.**

**Proud and Prejudiced**

.

From her room in the West Hotel presidential suite, Jade heard the chime of the door bell followed by the sound of Sinjin opening the door.

Jade rolled her eyes when she heard Sinjin gush, "Omigosh, it is you! I'm a big fan, Mr. Oliver, sir. I cried myself to sleep for three days straight when they canceled _Hollywood Arts Confidential. _It's an honor finally meeting you."

"Uh, thanks," replied a deep, rumbling voice, heavily tinged with amusement.

"My name is Sinjin, Jade's right hand man. Can I take a picture with you, just a quick one with a my phone, so I can show the followers of my blog that that I really met you?"

It was on that note that Jade decided to make an appearance. She rolled out of bed unenthusiastically and made her way to the living room.

She crossed her arms as she paused at the threshold of the room. She had traveled the world and had met many beautiful men, and the one grinning at Sinjin was one of them. Thus, she took the time to appreciate the boy standing in front of her.

"Uh, sure," he said as he ran a hand through his thick, luscious hair.

Jade wanted to run her hand through his hair, too, just to check if it's as soft as it looked, but she restrained herself. Knowing her father, he probably sent one of his starving actor-lackeys to fill in the gap of his absence.

While he was undoubtedly pretty, he was wearing scruffy old combat boots, faded old jeans with chains of metal threaded through the loops, and a black tank topped with a plaid shirt. The whole get-up screamed old and vintage to Jade.

Yup. This was one of her father's starving actors, alright. He couldn't even afford to get decent clothes.

"So you're the schmuck dear old daddy saddled me with?" Jade asked as she walked towards the sofa.

Both Sinjin and the boy, in the middle of taking a photo with Sinjin's phone, jerked in surprise at Jade's entrance.

The guy immediately slithered away from Sinjin's grasp and made his way towards Jade. "Beck Oliver," he said, extending his hand.

Jade hesitated a beat before accepting his hand in hers. His grasp was warm and firm, which Jade appreciated. She hated those sweaty, limp handshakes some actors have.

"Jade," she replied, releasing his hand and sitting down at the sofa.

"Nice meeting you, Jade. I'm your tour guide for tonight," Beck grinned at her charmingly. "Do you have any specific places that you wanna visit?"

"Yes, but not with you," was Jade's short reply. "You can go now."

Beck frowned. "I'm sorry?"

"You. Can. Go. Now." Jade made sure to enunciate each word carefully. "I don't need a tour guide to show me around Hollywood."

"Look," Beck said patiently, running another hand through his hair. "I promised your father that I will show you around LA, so I will be showing you around LA."

Jade rolled her eyes. It's probably more accurate to state that he wanted to be seen by the paps hanging out with her. "Just tell him that you did your job." She shrugged carelessly. "We ate out, had fun and then parted ways round midnight. You can even tip the tabloids to lend your story some semblance of truth. I really don't care."

"You mean lie?" He sounded scandalized. "I can't do that."

"Yes." Jade, a habitual and talented liar, frowned. What was his point?

"Uh, Jade?" Sinjin butted in their conversation. "Maybe you should let him accompany you tonight. That way, I can meet with the people of that perfume company who wants to manufacture your scent. Tonight's the only night their rep can meet with me."

Jade turned to Sinjin. "I'm not coming out with my own scent!" She snapped.

"They told me that they're going to make a pretty irresistible offer." Sinjin replied. "The least we can do is to give them a chance to make a pitch. No commitment involved."

"Then go." Jade snarled as she stood up and walked towards the veranda, away from the two men who were seriously annoying her. "I can take care of myself for one night."

"Look, your mother knows that you don't have friends so it'll make her feel better knowing that someone your dad trusts will be showing you around Hollywood," Sinjin argued.

Jade frowned at that. It was only a matter of time before her worrywart of a mother called Sinjin to ask how Jade was doing. Sinjin was the worst liar in the world so she knew he would blurt out (without even needing to ask) that Jade was on her own.

"You mean she doesn't have friends _here_," Beck suddenly interjected, frowning at Sinjin's statement. "Not that she doesn't have friends."

"No," Sinjin replied. "I meant Jade doesn't have friends."

"I have Cat." Jade said defensively.

"You said she was more like an annoying pet," Sinjin pointed out.

"Shut up, Sinjin," Jade growled. "You guys do know that I am eighteen years old, right? I don't need someone to chaperone me."

"Yes, but being eighteen doesn't mean your mother won't worry about you," Sinjin told her patiently. "But I could just cancel the meeting with the perfume company. The multimillion dollar contract they're offering you doesn't matter anyway. You're too cool to come out with your own scent."

Jade groaned loudly at Sinjin's guilt trip. For some reason that was unfathomable for Jade, Sinjin wanted her to come out with her own scent. The boy rarely ever made demands from her (unlike many other people in her life). Plus, he clearly made it his life's goal to give everything Jade ever needed or wanted, so Jade figured it was the least she could do for him. "Fine. Go to the meeting." She turned to Beck. "I guess that'll make you my babysitter for tonight."

"Great!" Before Beck could suggest a few places he enjoyed, he was interrupted by Jade.

"On the condition that I get to pick the place." Jade told him in a tone that booked no argument.

Beck shrugged, indicating that he had no problem with Jade's plans.

"I'll call the concierge for a car." Sinjin hurriedly picked up the phone before Jade could change her mind.

"No need," Beck said. " I've got my own ride."

"That's good." Sinjin grinned. "I'll call the perfume company to confirm my attendance."

"So dinner first?" Beck suggested to Jade.

"Whatever." Jade said shortly. "Gimme fifteen minutes to get ready."

Jade's fifteen minutes turned into forty-five. She came out of her room with such a menacing glare so that neither boy could make a comment. The glare, however, was wasted because Sinjin was nowhere to be seen while Beck's back was on her while he was admiring the view from the presidential suite.

"Where's Sinjin?" She asked, startling Beck from his reverie.

"He went out five minutes ago to meet with the perfume company." Beck turned around.

Jade waited for a comment on how long it took her to get ready, but Beck grinned at her, clearly in approval of her outfit.

"Ready to go?" He merely asked with a ready and easy grin.

Minutes later, they were at the hotel steps when a car drove up to them.

Jade didn't know much about cars, but she knew that it was one of those old junks. It was an old convertible, powder blue in color and she'd bet her trust fund that it wouldn't even have power windows or air conditioning.

"That's not your car, is it?" Jade asked with great trepidation. She'd rather not be seen inside the car. The paparazzi would have a field day.

"Sure is." A gleam of pride twinkled in the eyes of Beck Oliver, making him more beautiful than usual. "Isn't she beautiful?"

Jade winced. "She is something, all right." She wanted to say something scathing, but she remembered the time when she was stashed in a Catholic school for troubled teens.

One of her teachers in Values Education, the man only known as Brother Kwakoo, took her and four of his most difficult students, to his hometown in the Middle of Nowhere, Asia. It was an eye-opener. Jade had never seen such poverty before. The people were living without the things Jade was taking for granted: running water, electric sockets to plug all her gadgets into, wifi, air conditioning, and even three square meals a day. It was a difficult, hand-to-mouth existence.

What struck Jade most, though, was despite the poverty, Brother Kwakoo's people were very proud. They take pride in their work so that they can bring home food to their families. Even the kids who were old enough to walk worked, scampering to the plains to look for plants and animals that could nourish their bodies. Brother Kwakoo explained that they would rather break their backs working than accept help from the more advanced western world.

It was the same pride she was seeing now in the eyes of Beck Oliver. Jade had no doubt that no matter how old the car was, Beck scrimped and saved just to pay for it. It was a foreign concept for Jade. For as long as she could remember, she always had a fleet of cars at her disposal, provided by her adoptive father's chain of hotels. She never even bought her own car, having received the same as gifts from her parents (and once from an ex who was the son of a Greek shipping magnate).

Jade scowled at Beck but bit back the snippy retort. Something akin to pity tugged at Jade's heartstrings. It was hard in Hollywood, not everybody would make it.

She decided to cut Beck a break because Hollywood sure wouldn't. Apparently, she would be slumming it tonight.

When Beck reached into his pocket to tip the valet, though, Jade waved him off. "I got this," she said.

"No, it's fine," Beck tried to argue, but Jade was already surreptitiously handing a folded bill to the valet who opened her door.

"Thanks, Miss West."

"Yeah, get lost," Jade muttered as she carefully folded herself into the car, mindful that she may get a tetanus infection if she injured herself on it.

"Sure thing, ma'am," the valet replied, unfazed, as he shut the car door. "Have a nice evening."

"So where to, Miss West?" Beck grinned as he strapped himself into the car.

...

Beck thought it must be nice to be filthy rich and notoriously famous.

A push of a button sent a message that got a valet scurrying to their car, despite the long queue to the entrance.

Seriously, though, what's up with the long queue?

Karaoke Dokie wasn't exactly the place to be Friday nights. In fact, it was the go-to place when everywhere else was packed because one could always be sure that there's a vacant table (or ten) there. (What did one expect, though, with a name like Karaoke Dokie?)

That was why Beck was surprised when Jade said that they were going to Karaoke Dokie.

Beck would never underestimate the power of a socialite again. Apparently, Jade knew something he didn't, as shown by the fact that a lot of people were now begging entrance to the club.

Not them, though.

The valet came with a bouncer that led him and Jade straight inside the club, right into the VIP section and into a table on an elevated platform.

More than a few heads turned when they realized that Jade West was in the house, and Beck was pretty sure that some of them immediately reached for their phones to _Google_ his identity.

"Compliments of the house," a waiter fairly shouted over the music as he set two champagne flutes filled with an amber-colored drink.

"Thanks," Jade muttered as Beck assisted her to her chair.

"I hope that drink's non-alcoholic," Beck leaned over to tell her as he watched her drink.

"Oh my god," Jade groaned as she slammed her glass on the table. "Seriously?"

"Hey, I promised your dad that I'll take care of you for tonight, and that includes bringing you home safe and sober."

"What is it with you and your promise to David?" Jade demanded with a glare.

Beck grinned affably at her, probably not the response she was looking for. "My grandfather taught me that the measure of a real man is how much his words are worth, and when an Oliver man gives his word, he would be better off dying than to break it."

Jade gave him an unfathomable look, worlds different from her usual glare. "That's different." She finally said.

Before Beck could ask her what she meant, a hand grabbed on to Jade's shoulder.

"Never touch me!" Jade snarled as she whirled around to confront whoever it is that dared grab her.

Beck grinned when he recognized who the interloper was.

The man who touched Jade West held up his hands in surrender.

Jade's eyes widened. "Andre Harris," she gave him an intimate smile that, for some reason, didn't settle well with Beck. "What are you doing here?"

"I got myself a gig," Andre replied as he turned expectantly towards Jade's companion.

"Oh," Jade said, losing her smile. "This is Beck, my uh," she frowned as she searched for an appropriate word for her companion. "My jail guard. Beck, Andre."

"I prefer the title babysitter." Beck said as he stood up to shake Andre's hand. "And we've met."

"Ah, yes. Iñigo Baxter." Andre grinned. "Good times."

Beck raised his drink at Andre in salute.

"You know each other?" Jade raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Beck replied. "He guest starred in _Hollywood Arts __Confidential_, at the tail end of the second season, correct?"

Andre nodded. "I was the playboy that broke the lead character's heart," he affirmed.

Jade groaned. "Can we not talk about kids' shows? I hear enough about it from Sinjin."

Beck obliged Jade. "So how did the two of you know each other?"

"We took the same online course last semester." Andre replied. "We also had the same adviser who encouraged her students to meet with her at least once a month."

Jade glared at him. "Never speak of it."

"It was harder than it sounded." Andre shrugged. "Anyway, listen. I need to ask you something."

"NO!"

"You haven't even heard what I'm asking for." Andre protested.

"Then say it so I can say no."

Beck snorted.

"I just wanted to share a table," Andre frowned as he indicated to the filled to the brimming club.

"Sure, man," Beck immediately responded as he ignored Jade's dark glare. Hey. It was his table, too. "Is it just you though?"

"That's the thing," Andre's voice trailed off as his companion materialized, as if summoned by magic.

Oh, no.

Jade's sharp elbow connected with Beck's stomach. "I don't want her to be here." She hissed.

"Too late." Beck replied, a tad apologetic.

"Jade." Andre's companion greeted.

Jade rolled her eyes. "Tori."

…

**TO BE CONTINUED**

…


	3. Chapter 3

Author: khay

Category: Victorious

Rating: T because of Jade's potty mouth.

Disclaimer: Victorious and all related characters do not belong to me.

Summary: Beck thought she was the quintessential Hollywood socialite who had too much: money, booze, drugs, free time. Jade thought he was the typical struggling actor: perpetually broke, undependable, always looking for then next big break that never comes. Boy, were they wrong about each other.

Continuity: Alternate Universe.

Author's Notes: For Lari's 22nd birthday! Lol. Lari, I'm sorry I missed your birthday, but this fic is still for you :)

**.**

**Proud and Prejudiced**

Chapter 3

.

Why Andre Harris thought that Jade West and Tori Vega sharing a table was a good idea, Beck Oliver would never know.

Tori Vega was the ideal role model for the youth. Unlike her (half)sister, no stench of scandal was attached to her name. Tori was, generally, a happy, well-adjusted, obedient, respectful and talented teenager. She was on the fast track to becoming a pop icon. She was also in a healthy, loving relationship with young teen sensation, Ryder Daniels. Operative word: was.

Everything changed about four months ago when she and Ryder attended the birthday party of Robbie Shapiro, the brain behind the _TheSlap_, an up-and-coming social networking site. Also attending the party was Jade West, who was rumored to be Robbie's on-again-off-again girlfriend (less reputable tabloids would claim that Jade and Rob were in a friends-with-benefits arrangement).

The sisters snubbed each other, as usual. However, hours into the party, tongues began wagging when people noticed that Jade and Ryder were talking intimately at a dark corner, their bodies closer than what was appropriate, and without any Tori Vega in sight.

The legitimate media and paps in attendance readied their cameras.

They weren't disappointed when a few minutes later, Tori Vega marched towards her sister and boyfriend. Words were exchanged, which to this day eluded everyone but the three parties involved. Tori, in a move so uncharacteristic, suddenly slapped Ryder in the face before leaving in a huff. Jade stood up before grabbing her drink and upending its contents on Ryder's head. She left in one of her signature exits.

No one really knew what actually occurred between the three. Jade was not talking. Tori refused interviews but her _TheSlap _status pronounced her heartbroken but grateful. Ryder tried to do damage control, to no avail. (It was all a misunderstanding, he claimed. Jade was trying to cause trouble for her sister because she can't stand anyone else being happy while she was so miserable.)

Unfortunately for Ryder, Jade's rep can handle the bad publicity. His, on the other hand, cannot. David Vega no longer considered him as his _It Boy_. Tori's protective fans started smearing his name in _TheSlap _as well as other social networking sites. The network that was in the process of negotiating a mini-series with him in the title role dropped him. His career was, in a word, over.

"Hi." Tori greeted Jade, smiling hesitantly at the younger girl. "I know it's a bad idea, but I wanted to talk to you."

"Can't you just go away?" Jade asked bluntly.

Beck frowned at Jade, but didn't say anything. Didn't she see that Tori was making an effort to play nice?

Jade saw Beck's frown and rolled her eyes.

"I'm Beck Oliver." He offered his hand to Tori to break the tension. "I'm not sure you remember me, but I—"

"You were the brother in my music video for _Best Friend's Brother_." Tori smiled at him. "That was, what? Two years ago?"

"Three, I think." He replied. "But the song's a classic."

"Yeah, great," Jade muttered mutinously. "Can we move on now? You're making my teeth hurt with your sunshine and light."

Beck grinned at Jade as he nudged her playfully. "Don't be jealous, Jade. I think the music video you did with _Gravity 5 _was a classic, too."

"Yeah, you wish." Jade muttered, then, in a much louder voice, she called out, "Can I get another drink?"

Another great thing about being an A-Lister, Beck realized, was that people waited on you hand and foot.

No sooner than Jade had uttered those words, three waiters scurried in their direction bearing additional chairs and a tray laden with food. "From the management," one waiter said as he unloaded his burden. "All food served are organic, gluten-free and vegetarian, sans nuts and other usual allergens. Enjoy." To Beck's delight, one of the waiters actually bowed before leaving their table.

Beck and Andre nodded in appreciation.

"I can't wait 'til the wait staff started curtsying to my greatness, too," Andre chuckled as he examined the feast set on the table.

Jade, on the other hand, ignored the food and went straight for the drink.

Before the drink could touch her lips, however, it was snatched from her grasp by Beck.

"Hey!" Jade protested as Beck took a sip of her drink.

"Just checking if it has alcohol," he winked at her. He handed the drink back when he became reasonably sure that it was alcohol-free.

"I don't wanna drink it now," Jade growled. "It has got your germs."

"You might like my germs." Beck joked.

Despite her protest, Jade took it back and hunched over it protectively.

Beck grinned. The night was still young and it promised to be very, very interesting.

...

Jade would rather walk barefoot through hot coals that to admit that she was having a good time. It was surprising considering the company she was with—a down-on-his-luck actor, her goody-two shoes half-sister, and a struggling musician.

The music selection also was tolerable. It wasn't great, mind you, but it was okay. In fact, Jade found her head unconsciously bobbing her head to the beat.

It was going well, until Jade noticed Tori give Andre a signal with her eyes.

Immediately after receiving the (not so) subtle signal from Tori, Andre clapped Beck's back. "Dude, I see gorgeous identical twins from across the room trying to get our attention. Let's ask them to dance. Excuse us, ladies."

As far as excuses went, that was terrible, in Jade's opinion. A sweeping gaze across the overcrowded Karaoke Dokie made her realize that dancing with the twins wasn't an excuse. A set of blond, buxom identical twins were both falling out their chairs trying to get the attention of the men at their table.

Beck downed his own (non-alcoholic) drink before standing up and tripping over his own feet in his excitement to follow Andre.

Jade frowned. (Of course, she was annoyed _only _because that traitor left her alone with perfect little Tori Vega, knowing full well that they can't stand each other. _Not_ because he was abandoning her to dance with that flirty blond bombshell.)

Soon, it was just her and her perfect big sister on the table.

This won't end well.

Tori cleared her throat to get Jade's attention, after three minutes of awkward silence. "Hi."

"What?" Jade snarled, happy to find a target for he annoyance.

"I just wanted to say thanks," Tori told her boldly.

"I just wanted to say thanks," Jade mimicked, using an exaggerated Southern accent.

Tori's eyes widened comically. "I don't talk like that!"

Jade rolled her eyes as she signaled a waiter for another drink. She totally should order something alcoholic to show that jerk Oliver that he can't control her. She didn't, however. Instead, she raised her glass, indicating to the waiter that she wanted a refill of her Beck-approved, non-alcoholic drink.

"So, thanks," Tori plowed on as soon as the waiter left, unwilling to be distracted from her goal of saying thanks.

Yep. She was Jade's sister, alright. Stubborn to the very core.

"What are you thanking me for? It was Oliver who allowed you to share our table," Jade grumbled, deliberately misunderstanding the other girl.

"Not for the table," Tori rolled her eyes. "For, you know," she paused and leaned towards Jade to whisper, "Ryder."

"Don't mention it," Jade replied leaning _away_ from Tori.

"If not for you, I would have stayed blind to all his faults, because he hoodwinked me and everyone close to me—"

"When I said don't mention it, I meant don't mention it!" In desperation, Jade tried to catch Beck's eye. He was there to _babysit _her, wasn't he? Not to dance like an idiot with some blond airhead the first chance he got.

There was that jerk, with a blond plastered all over his body.

Desperately, Jade focused her attention on Beck, willing him to turn her way. She was trying to convey to him by mental telepathy that if he doesn't move his ass to their table within the next two minutes, the paps would get the show they were desperately craving for, because she did not go out tonight to bond with her (half)sister.

Beck must be psychic because a minute later, he met her eyes and raised an inquiring eyebrow. Jade tried to convey all her murderous intent in a single look. It must have been effective because Beck immediately whispered into his dance partner's ear before he made his way back to their table.

Andre, noticing his companion's departure from the dance floor (and Jade's murderous glare), quickly followed suit.

"Hey," Beck grinned at Jade once he and Andre dropped back into their respective seats.

Jade, despite the desperate call for help earlier, pointedly ignored him.

A lesser man would have backed off at Jade's deadly glare. Beck, however, refused to let it go. He nudged her playfully with his elbow as he sat down beside her. "Are you ignoring me? Are you mad at me? Jade? Jaaaaaade? Jadey?"

Jade didn't like the twinkle that suddenly appeared in Beck's eyes.

"Are you ignoring me because you're jealous?" Beck asked, his voice heavily tinged with amusement.

Andre laughed, but quickly smothered it when Jade's glare turned to him.

"You have a very inflated opinion of yourself." Jade growled at Beck. "And don't call me Jadey!"

"If you wanna dance with me," Beck grinned, unaffected by the death glares that were being thrown his way. "You only had to ask."

Jade chose not to dignify that with a response. Instead, she reached for a plate of some artsy-farsty food. She viciously stabbed the food with her fork, searching for something on it that she could actually identify.

Her search for something palatable to eat was interrupted by Beck who suddenly grabbed her hand which was holding the fork.

And no, that wasn't a jolt that Jade felt through her fingers when his skin touched hers.

It was only static electricity! It was purely scientific and not romantic, okay?

"Let's dance."

…

Beck wondered that if he had finally arrived in Hollywood. He remembered years ago, after watching a sleazy TV special about Hollywood parties, he dreamed of one day partying with the rich and famous.

Look at him now, dancing with Hollywood's most famous mean girl.

Who was not as mean as she looked.

Alright, fine, her glare may be scary (but not to Beck, who claimed to be unscareable); she was rude to everyone; and she did believe in sugar-coating anything, but she's refreshingly honest, unlike most people he had met in the business. She says what she means and means what she says.

And she knew how to have fun.

Beck was pleasantly surprised at how well Jade was dancing. For someone who was known for doing nothing but being famous, Jade's moves were smooth and sexy, her manner confident, her smile enticing.

Beck knew that he was the envy of most men in Karaoke Dokie, being the sole focus of his dance partner (That was another thing that was intriguing about Jade West. Most women he had met in Hollywood was so conscious of other people, of their environment, especially when out and about. Jade, on the other hand, her attention was solely his while they were dancing together.)

From his peripherals, Beck saw a man trying to capture Jade's attention. With a superior smirk at the guy, Beck placed both hands on Jade's waist and tugged gently, bringing her closer to him.

Jade raised a challenging brow, smirked, before spinning around so that her back was to his front. Once again, Beck placed both hands on Jade's waist and tugged, this time until there was not an inch of space between them.

Dancing with Jade was one of daring and sexiest things he had ever done (and like a lot of normal, hot-blooded boy, Beck had experimented and experienced a lot).

Oh, man.

He was pretty sure that getting involved with Jade West (a controversial girl stalked by paparazzi whose biological father could break his career while her adoptive father can buy and sell half of Hollywood) was a mistake especially at this point in his life when he felt he still have a lot of things to prove and accomplish.

Beck, however, learned early in his life that normal was boring.

Getting involved with Jade may be a mistake, but he was pretty sure it would be one hell of a ride.

Beck's grin grew wider as he came to a decision.

Whether she liked it or not, Jade West had just gained herself a date for the next couple of weeks (or longer, if Beck could convince her to extend her two-week stay in Hollywood).

It was going to be an interesting couple of weeks as Beck tries to get himself an heiress.

...

**To Be Continued**


	4. Chapter 4

Author: khay

Category: Victorious

Rating: T because of Jade's potty mouth.

Disclaimer: Victorious and all related characters do not belong to me.

Summary: Beck thought she was the quintessential Hollywood socialite who had too much: money, booze, drugs, free time. Jade thought he was the typical struggling actor: perpetually broke, undependable, always looking for then next big break that never comes. Boy, were they wrong about each other.

Continuity: Alternate Universe.

Author's Notes: For Lari's 22nd birthday! Lol. Lari, I'm sorry I missed your birthday, but this fic is still for you :)

* * *

**Proud and Prejudiced  
**Chapter 4

* * *

The PearPhone's shrill ringing interrupted Beck Oliver's pleasant dream of long limbs, pale skin and silky hair. As he woke up inch by hard-won inch, the dream gradually disappeared, as they were wont to do in the harsh light of day.

"Hello?"

"Beck, my boy!" A voice which Beck tried to frantically identify, boomed. "I must admit, I had my doubts about sending you out with Jade, but let me just say that you went above and beyond the call of duty."

"David?" Desperately trying to shakeout the cobwebs of sleep, Beck sat up in his bed.

"I think this is the first time I turned on the early morning talk shows and heard positive things about my Jade," David Vega continued on. "Well, not really positive, but she did not cause a scene, she did not drive home drunk, she did not pour coffee on an innocent bystander. Gad, Beck, she was even photographed talking amicably with her big sister."

"Uh, David? It's—" Beck removed the phone from his ear to check the time. "Seven in the morning. Why are you up so early?"

"What do you mean just woke up?" David demanded. "I haven't even slept yet."

Which would explain the hyperactivity. Beck had no doubt that David was slushed.

"I don't know how you do it, but I want you to keep doing it!"

"Yeah, it was—" Beck tried to tell David that he enjoyed his daughter's company, save for one incident at around one-thirty in the morning.

Beck had just excused himself for a second to go to the restroom. On his way back, he saw a waiter hand Jade a white pill. Before Beck can make his way to the table to confiscate the drug, Jade had swallowed it and washed it down with a huge gulp of water. Beck pretended he didn't see the pill but watched her like a hawk, ready to intervene if Jade's behavior turned erratic. Instead of being wild and uninhibited, however, the pill made Jade turn quiet and sleepy. Soon, Beck found himself insisting that the two of them go home so she could get some rest.

"Tell you what," David talked over Beck, uninterested on what the boy was going to say about Jade. "Take the girl out to lunch today at _Maestro's_. My treat. Just keep doing what you're doing to keep her from trouble. I don't want another reporter calling me for a comment on my youngest daughter's latest escapade."

"David, wait!" Beck tried to get the director's attention in vain. "David, there's no need—" too late, his only reply was the angry sound of the phone's dial tone.

With an angry groan, Beck threw his phone back at his bedside table before falling back down in bed.

What had just happened?

…

Contrary to popular belief, Jade West did not sleep the day away. She also did not drink blood for sustenance, sleep in a coffin, or spontaneously combust when exposed to sunlight.

Jade's day begins at six in the morning, everyday, no matter how late she had slept the night before. She's not coherent, though, until she had a cup of strong, black coffee. It was only then that she actually wakes up. After another cup of coffee, this time with two sugars, Jade feels human enough to eat a banana, another fruit (whichever is in season) and a vegan-friendly bagel (you know, instead of any person who dared cross her that early in the morning). That rarely changed (because with her life as chaotic as it was, she treasured routine when she can have it).

After breakfast, she checks her mail (and answers, if she feels like it). She then looks over the schedule Sinjin painstakingly prepares for her daily.

At seven in the morning, she runs.

Nothing, not rain, snow, wind, late nights, hangover—nothing!—can keep Jade West from running at seven in the morning. She was convinced that it was the only thing keeping her sane in her crazy world. Even if running provided the paps the most opportunity to take the candid shots of her she so loathed, she never stopped, because it was the only way her too-active mind can quiet down. She had tried a lot of things to get her peace and calm: meditation, drugs, alcohol, religion, exhaustion, to no avail. Running was the only thing that worked. (She would forever be thankful for the nuns at St. Joseph's Boarding School who encouraged her to try running at age sixteen. She had been running ever since.)

She preferred to run outside, to pit herself against nature's roughest terrain or the toughest tracks made by men. Unfortunately, she was in Hollywood at the moment, so running outside with all the paps running after her was out of the question.

She made do with a treadmill at the hotel gym. At seven in the morning, only her and a few health nuts were inside, she preferred to be alone, but who said she can't be flexible? The television was turned on to the morning news was on but its volume was unobtrusive.

Jade, not interested at world events, or even about news about her own person, put on her headphones and imagined herself running away from a rabid wild boar in the middle of a dark, isolated forest.

Twenty minutes into her run, the wild board was just about to reach her and take her life when a huntsman with a huge axe placed himself between her and certain death; a huntsman who was tall and lithe, with olive skin and too fluffy hair.

Jade almost stumbled off her treadmill at that.

Never, in all her years of running, did thoughts of a person invade her run.

Now, unbidden and unwelcome, thoughts of Beck Oliver had disturbed her alone time.

Was her subconscious trying to tell her something?

…

"How does anyone expect me to work my magic in the middle of this anarchy?" The artist only known as Trina (no last name, thank you very much) screamed in frustration.

The five-man crew who was slowly turning Trina's living room/photography studio into a mini-jungle paid her no mind. The men were used to screeches, mini-rants and melt downs. There were, after all, working in Hollywood and were no strangers to artistic temperaments. (Additionally, they were much more afraid of the star of the show than the artist behind the camera.)

Trina gave a small scream when her doorbell rang. "Somebody get that! Hey you! Get the door! I said get the door! Argh!"

Frustrated that her orders were being ignored by mere mortals, Trina stalked to the entrance and wrenched the front door open. "WHAT?" She snarled, then took an involuntary step back when she saw the person on the other side. Her voice softened and her eyes twinkled in interest. "Holy chiz, who's this?"

Beck Oliver, impossibly handsome with his gravity-defying hair, was leaning casually against the door frame, his jean jacket slung over one shoulder. "Hi." He said, giving her his most charming smile. "It's Beck Oliver. I'm looking for Jade? I was told she's gonna be here."

"What do you need Jade for when I'm here?" Trina breathed with a flirty toss of her hair. "Trina: actress, singer, model, photographer." She offered a hand. "What can I say? I'm a jack of all trades. Wanna stick around to witness my genius?"

"Thanks, but I'm really here for Jade." Beck's grin widened as he took her hand in his (to soften the blow of his implied rejection).

Trina gave out a groan that originated from the tips of her toes. "Jade!" She shouted over the din that was her workshop. "There's a dude here to see you. You better get a move on or he'll move on to me!"

"We're in the middle of something!" A masculine voice, which Beck immediately recognized as Sinjin's, hollered back.

Trina shrugged at Beck, as if to say, '_Well, I tried_.'

"I got it," Beck told her with a wink. "Thanks, Trina." He gave her hand a squeeze before releasing it.

"Anytime." Trina sighed as she watched Beck make his way to her kitchen where Jade and Sinjin were staying. Why did untalented rich girls get all the cute guys?

In the kitchen, Beck immediately saw Jade and Sinjin deep in discussion.

"Jade, I can't!" Sinjin was saying. "You know I'll do anything for you, anything but this! You know how much Regina hates me."

"Regina doesn't hate you," Jade murmured, trying to stay as still as possible as she was having her makeup done. "She's just misunderstood."

After taking the time to admire how Jade looked, Beck made his presence known. "Hey."

"Beck!" Sinjin exclaimed with joy. "You're here!"

Jade waved her makeup artist off. "Why are you here?" She asked suspiciously once the woman had left. "Are you stalking me?"

"No, no." Beck denied. "I was just in the neighborhood and thought maybe you guys would like to have lunch with me."

"Trina lives in the middle of nowhere," Jade said, her suspicion not abated a bit. "You can't just be in the neighborhood."

"I told him where we'd be today." Sinjin interjected.

"Why?"

"Maybe I like spending time with interesting women." Beck replied.

Jade rolled her eyes before a slow smirk adorned her face, a smirk that sent all sorts of warning signs in Beck's head.

Beck, of course, ignored it, as he was wont to do when a beautiful woman that makes his head spin was involved.

"Sinjin, maybe you could ask Beck to help you bring Regina in. After all, she's already here. I don't want to stress her out by cancelling the photo shoot and rescheduling for another day. Plus, that will totally unprofessional of us."

Sinjin blanched.

"Regina?"

"My cat. She's in her cage out back. Usually, her trainer is with her and would bring her in, but the trainer caught something viral, so it's up to Sinjin to wrangle her inside." Jade smiled warmly at Beck. "I'd have lunch with you if you do me this teeny favor."

"Sure." Beck replied, not minding the frantic shaking of Sinjin's head from behind Jade.

"Great. The crew's almost done. See you in five minutes." Jade rose from her chair. She reached out and cupped Beck's cheek for a moment before she walked away. "I'm counting on you guys." She called out after them.

"Let's go get Regina." Beck told Sinjin as he gently pushed the downtrodden boy along the way.

Sinjin just let out a dying groan.

Once outside, a loud roar made Beck jump. "That doesn't sound like a cat."

"Oh, it's a cat, alright." Sinjin told him with a grimace. "But you should have asked Jade what kind of cat it was."

"I'm almost afraid to ask." Beck muttered as they approached a trailer covered in back cloth.

Sinjin whipped down the cloth in flourish. "Beck Oliver, meet Regina West. Reg, Beck."

For the second time in his life, Beck was mesmerized by a pair of deep, soulful eyes. While the first pair that entranced him so was deep blue and mysterious, this time, the eyes he was gazing upon were yellow and hinted at the secrets of the universe.

"Holy chiz." Beck breathed reverently.

To say that Regina was a cat was an understatement.

Regina was aptly named, as her bearing was regal and proud. From her lounging position, Regina sat up and eyed the two men standing before her as a ruler would her peasants. She orange coat striped with black gleamed under the bright California sun.

She yawned.

"Yep. Jade's punishing me for agreeing to launch her perfume line." Sinjin sighed as he eyed the majestic tiger as if it was going to take a bite off him any second. "I don't know what you did to earn Regina-duty, but here we are."

"Where'd she come from?" Beck asked as he walked around the tiger's cage.

"Jade adopted her three years ago." Sinjin explained. "She was a traveling circus tiger whose trainer had suddenly died from a heart attack. Reg was de-clawed so releasing her back to the wild was out of the question. She's becoming quite advanced in years and the circus owner didn't know what to do with her. She was neglected and her health was failing when Jade saw her. Jade tried keeping her, but realized that she would be happier with her own kind, so she donated her to the local zoo here in California. Jade makes it a point to visit her at least once a month, though."

"She's beautiful." Beck always had a weak spot for beautiful women. He approached the cage but, just as he was about to touch its railing, the tiger roared.

Both men jumped back in fear.

"Oh, yeah. The most important thing to remember about Regina: she doesn't like males very much." Sinjin said.

...

It took them almost a quarter of an hour instead of five minutes, but somehow, Beck and Sinjin was able to open Regina's cage, put a collar around her neck, and coax her inside the makeshift studio.

Jade, decked in a comfortable, fluffy blue robe, rose from Trina's sofa when she heard her baby enter the room.

"That cat better not destroy my stuff." Trina warned Jade before leading most of the tech crew out of her house.

"Regina!" Jade grinned as she opened her arms.

Regina, who was at that time docilely walking between Beck and Sinjin, suddenly snapped at her captors. It was only the men's quick movements that saved them from losing a limb or two. She bit her leash and jerked it out from her captors' hands before she joyfully bounded into Jade's outstretched arms.

The remaining crew (mostly lighting and makeup) screamed in fear, but it was obvious a few seconds thereafter that there was no need to panic. Jade was in no danger from the beast, who gave a rumbling purr when its master crouched down to scratch its fur.

"I missed you," Jade murmured as she buried her face on Regina's neck.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm touched, now, let's get to work, people." Trina shouted as she readied her camera. "Keep your pet under control, West!"

Jade, too happy snap back at Trina, ignored the other woman and removed Regina's leash.

The crew collectively stepped away from girl and beast.

"Let's go," Sinjin began tugging on Beck.

"What?"

"Let's get out of here."

"Why? I was invited to watch."

"Because Sinjin is a prude." Jade replied as she tossed the leash to Sinjin who fumbled at catching it.

"I'm not a prude." Sinjin mumbled. "I'm just being respectful."

"I don't get what that has to do with anything." Beck told the two.

With an evil grin, Jade stood up, untied the sash of her robe and shrugged it off, revealing miles and miles of smooth, silky skin unblemished by any stitch of clothing.

Beck smiled in appreciation for a second before everything turned blue.

Jade laughed when she saw Sinjin snatch the discarded robe from the floor and flung it over Beck's head.

"We'll be back later!" Sinjin called out as he tried not to look at his naked boss while pushing a protesting Beck out of the door. "Bye!"

...

"What you are, Jade West, is a show off." Sinjin grumbled as he opened a drawer from Jade's kitchen hours later.

The photography session went on smoothly, Regina was safely delivered to the zoo and the trio was back inside the penthouse suite of West Hotel.

"The naked body is a natural thing, Sinjin," Jade replied as she sat down on the counter. "Plus, I work hard to maintain my body, so it's a sin to hide it behind clothes, right, Oliver?"

Beck Oliver, who was the last to enter the spacious hotel room, help up his hands in mock surrender. "Don't get me involved in this. I already got a long lecture from Van Cleef about how to respect women."

Jade rolled her eyes even as she accepted a white pill and a glass of water from Sinjin.

Beck frowned as he watched her drink it.

"So," Beck said. "I think someone promised me lunch?"

Jade shook her head. "The deal was if lunch if you're able to bring out Regina in five minutes." She said. "It took you an hour."

"A deal's a deal, West." Beck said.

"I don't feel like going out." Jade almost whined. "I don't like dealing with the lunch crowd. They're stupid and rude."

"I've got lunch covered." Sinjin said as he brought out a pink, frilly apron and snapped it with with all the flair of a master chef, before putting it on.

After being shooed out of the kitchen, Beck and Jade made their way to the living room.

Jade laid down the sofa while Beck, who won the battle for the remote control, sat of the floor. Beck found a B-rated scary movie that Jade didn't object to (much).

Minutes later, Beck felt fingers tunneling through his hair (reminiscent of how the same fingers stroked through Regina's fur).

"Jade?" Beck turned to Jade and saw her half-asleep.

"Mmhmm?"

"So Trina, huh?"

Beck heard a lot about Trina from Sinjin while they were waiting for the photo shoot to finish.

Trina was another statistic in Hollywood. She ran away from home at age fifteen, determined to make it big as an actress. In California, however, she was just one of the many beautiful women trying to get noticed by the bigwigs and the public. Instead of taking the world by storm as planned, Hollywood ate her whole and spat her out.

Trina, however, was nothing if not persistent. If she couldn't be famous for being an actress, she could try being a singer. Failing that, she tried being a model. She had posed for catalogs while augmenting her income with waitressing. She still went from one audition to another in her free time, sustained by her unwavering belief in her talent. Trina may be down, but her dreams could never be broken.

One day she received mail that she won a scholarship for photography classes (which was weird because she didn't remember joining any contest). Thinking it was an opportunity for her to rub shoulders with Hollywood's up-and-coming photographers, Trina took it.

She met Sinjin Van Cleef there who was also taking lessons, trying to perfect his craft. Sinjin taught her the basics, lent her an expensive camera (he bought a more recent model, he told her) and introduced her to who's who in Hollywood.

Trina found that she had talent in taking pictures and soon, she outstripped Sinjin's capabilities. She also learned that while her first love would always be working in front of a camera, working behind one paid the bills.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

Jade sighed but didn't immediately reply. "What about Trina?"

"I figured, a girl like you could command the most famous and most talented photographers in the world. So why Trina?"

"Maybe the magazine wanted Trina."

Beck snorted. "A control freak like you? I have no doubt that not only did you insist that Trina be the one to photograph you, you also handpicked all the crew that was involved in the photo shoot."

The fingers on Beck's hair stilled. Just as Beck was ready to take back his words (anything to feel her hands through his hair again), her fingers moved again.

"Why not Trina Vega?" Jade shrugged and closed her eyes. "She's family, after all."

Did she say Trina Vega? Beck's eyes widened in shock. Trina was family? He asked for a clarification, but none came: Jade West has finally fallen asleep.

"Well, it's confirmed." Beck whispered as he removed her hand from his head and entwined it with his. "The wicked witch does have a heart."

He just wished she wasn't so dependent on those tiny white pills she took all the time.

...

To be continued.


	5. Chapter 5

Author: khay

Category: Victorious

Rating: T because of Jade's potty mouth.

Disclaimer: Victorious and all related characters do not belong to me.

Summary: Beck thought she was the quintessential Hollywood socialite who had too much: money, booze, drugs, free time. Jade thought he was the typical struggling actor: perpetually broke, undependable, always looking for then next big break that never comes. Boy, were they wrong about each other.

Continuity: Alternate Universe.

Author's Notes: This is Lari's birthday fic but she might as well claim co-authorship because she gives great ideas when I get stuck, magnanimously extends my deadlines and assures me that I'm not a loser whenever I get frustrated.

**.**

**Proud and Prejudiced  
**Chapter 5

.

_"I oughta take this and kill you both with it."_

_"How can you kill us with toilet paper?" _

_"Put it down. Put it...down."_

_"How can she kill you with toilet paper?"_

"Oh, you naive, clueless boy. On top of my head, I could think of ten different ways to kill with toilet paper."

Beck Oliver smirked.

The last line was spoken by Jade West, who was too engrossed with the show she was watching on television to notice his arrival. There was a forgotten tub of popcorn on her lap with her hand stuck inside.

And the best part was, Jade West was watching _Hollywood Arts Confidential_, Beck's television breakthrough role.

"What are you wazzed about?" Beck's character, Iñigo Baxter, demanded from inside the boob tube.

"Wazzed?" Jade muttered to herself. "What on earth does that mean?"

"I think it's a kind of German sausage." Beck replied. "Or is that chiz? I get them confused."

Jade's reaction to Beck's statement was amazing.

With a blood-curling scream, she jackknifed from the sofa into the middle of the room, the tub of popcorn on her lap flying up with an impressively high trajectory.

With trepidation, Beck's eyes followed the tub of popcorn which seemed to move in slow motion: from Jade's lap, to the air, and straight onto his head.

Then everything went dark.

Or maybe it was because of the bucket of popcorn landed upside down on his head that obscured his vision.

"I should have coughed first or something to announce my arrival, huh?" Beck asked as he removed his makeshift hat. Popcorn came pouring out, from his hair onto the floor. He checked the state of his hair with a wince. "Butter. Of course."

"What do you think you're doing?" Jade screeched as she clutched at the remote, or maybe it was her heaving chest.

"Uh, hi?"

Jade, after getting over her surprise, glared at Beck.

"I caught Sinjin on his way out," the boy explained. "He told me to come right in."

"Of course he would," Jade muttered more to herself. "That's because he's an idiot. In fact, you're both idiots."

"Sorry?"

"Never do that again!" She dropped back on the couch, which Beck took as an invitation to join her.

"I see you're watching _Hollywood Arts Confidential_." Beck finally observed after a moment of charged silence as he placed the now empty tub of popcorn on the coffee table.

"No." She vehemently denied even as the television screen belied her.

"No, wait, I wanna watch!" Beck wrestled the remote away from Jade when she tried to change the channel.

A short and one-sided struggle for the remote later, Jade crossed her arms, admitting defeat. "Fine," she capitulated. "But I wasn't really watching your show. I was channel surfing when I saw your face so I decided to see what the fuss is all about."

"So you like it?"

"The dialogue is corny, the laugh track is too loud," she paused when she saw Beck's face fall. "But your acting doesn't suck."

"Thanks!"

"And I like the Liz chick. She knows what's up."

"Of course you'd like her. I have a feeling you would hit it off with the actor playing her."

"Why are you here, anyway?"

"Oh, yeah," Beck grinned. "I'm here to take you out for lunch."

"I'm not going out with someone with butter hair." Jade grimaced as she lifted up a lock of Beck's butter-coated hair. "Gross."

"I'll show you butter hair!" Beck playfully pounced on Jade, grabbing her wrists and holding her down while he wiped his hair free of butter on her shirt.

"No!" She screeched, trying in vain to hold back laughter. "Stop it! Stop! Beck! You're such a child."

"Say uncle!"

"Never!"

"Then I'll have to give you noogies!"

"No! No! Not the hair!"

"Then say it!"

"Fine! I give up! Uncle! Uncle!"

"That'll teach you to diss the hair." Beck told her. He stopped torturing Jade, but he still hadn't release her from his hold.

Jade laughed, a rare and beautiful sound, in Beck's opinion.

Then, Beck, for the first time, realized how close he was to Jade. Man, her eyes were so blue. And her body was soft and warm underneath his hard and angular frame. She was—

"Ahem."

As if electrocuted, Beck and Jade sprang up and apart.

"Just wanted to let you know that I'm back." A poker-faced Sinjin announced as he took in the duo's compromising position on the couch and the popcorn-blanketed floor. "So, I'm back. Carry on." He said before moving towards the kitchen.

Like chastised children, Beck and Jade met each other's eyes guiltily.

"Wanna wash off the butter from your hair before we head out?" Jade finally asked.

"Yes! Please. Thank you."

Indeed, Beck needed a shower. Not just for his butter-filled hair though.

.

It was with great trepidation that Jade West opened Beck's car door and arranged herself fastidiously inside. She resisted the urge to duck down to make sure enterprising paparazzi wouldn't be able to take a photograph of her.

"Are you sure we couldn't take my car?" Jade asked when Beck slid inside the driver's seat.

Beck's eyes actually twinkled in excitement. That car-loving geek. "You've got a car? What kind is it?"

"I dunno." Jade shrugged. "It has four wheels, it's shiny and new, and it takes me where I want to go. That's all I need to know." Technically, it wasn't her car but a hotel-owned one provided for her by her adoptive dad to use when she was in Hollywood.

"If that's the case," Beck replied. "It'll be better if we get to where we're going with Lucy. She's got more personality."

Jade frowned suspiciously. "Who's Lucy?"

He patted the dashboard affectionately. "You're looking right at her."

"You named your car?" Jade asked incredulously. "That is so weird."

"Doesn't everybody?" Beck asked as he started the engine. "And listen to her purr."

Jade listened but, "I don't hear nothing but the sound of engine running."

"Exactly." Beck said proudly. "She's older than I am yet she still runs like a dream."

"Yeah," Jade rolled her eyes. "I'll take your word for it. Where are we going, anyway?" She asked before Beck could wax poetic about his rust bucket.

"It's a surprise." Beck winked at her as he pulled out of the hotel's parking garage. That loser actually winked at her!

"But I know a lot of local clubs I can get us into, no problem." She tried to wheedle. "Even those members-only clubs that you have to make a reservation to months in advance. Just tell me where you wanna go and I can get you in with just a phone call."

"I don't think so." He replied. "I think it'll do you good to see how the other half lives."

"Other half?"

"Yeah. That half who are not rich and famous and can't go into exclusive clubs."

Jade rolled her eyes.

"Plus, you wouldn't get an authentic Hollywood experience if you limit yourself to exclusive clubs." Beck gave her a blinding grin. "Trust me."

Jade hesitated only for a microsecond, but in the end, she realized that she did trust Beck. "Don't make me regret this."

"You won't." He assured her confidently.

.

Beck couldn't take his eyes off of Jade the moment they walked into Nozu.

Jade's head swiveled as she took in the decor and the people inside.

Beck timed their arrival at Nozu such that the lunch crowd was starting to thin. However, the place was still filled with people lingering over their meal.

"What do you think, so far?"

"It's kinda," Jade paused to grasp a fitting adjective to describe the place. "Bright. And loud."

"That's one way of describing the place." Beck grinned before, as casually as he can, he reached out to grasp Jade's hand to lead her to a booth.

He held his breath while waiting for Jade's reaction, but she merely smiled at him, allowing the hand-holding.

"Beck Oliver!" A high-pitched and nasal voice pierced through the usual noise of the sushi bar. "You finally deigned to return!"

"Brace yourself," was the only warning Beck could give Jade before a petite middle-aged Asian woman descended upon them.

"What took you so long?" She demanded as she lightly slapped either of Beck's cheeks. "You too famous for Nozu? And who's this?"

"Oh, Mrs. Lee, this is Jade. Jade, Mrs. Lee."

"Is she an actor like you?" Mrs. Lee demanded.

"You can say that."

She turned to Jade, who's eyes were growing larger and larger with shock. "You're too thin." Mrs. Lee proclaimed. "Our sushi should provide some meat in your bones."

"That's why we're here, Mrs. Lee." Beck said charmingly.

"Good, good. Here, have the best seat in the house." She motioned towards a booth in the center.

"Uh, Mrs. Lee?" a blond college-aged guy, who was still sitting at the table Mrs. Lee offered to Beck and Jade, interrupted. "We're still using the booth."

"Your plates are already empty." Mrs. Lee observed. "Are you ordering something else?"

"No. We're good." The guy's brawny friend replied, patting his stomach.

"Then you're done." Mrs. Lee proclaimed as she hailed a passing waiter. "Clear their table."

"But Mrs. Lee!" The two guys tried to protest as a waiter grabbed their empty plates.

"OUT!"

The two boys hurriedly scrambled out of the booth.

"There you go," Mrs. Lee told Beck and Jade pleasantly.

"Thanks, Mrs. Lee." Beck said as he helped Jade into her seat before sliding into his own.

"Don't forget to mention Nozu in your interviews when you get more famous, okay?" Mrs. Lee told him.

"Will do."

"I'll send a waiter over for your orders." Before walking away, Mrs. Lee turned to Jade. "Isn't he handsome? Like a pretty pony."

"That was," Jade paused. "Different."

"Isn't she?" Beck grinned.

"She looks Chinese."

"She is." He confirmed, mirth dancing in her eyes.

"But this is a sushi bar."

"It is."

"And she just shooed away those college kids like they were beggars rather than paying customers."

"She did."

"And she called you a pretty pony."

"I am."

"Huh." Jade leaned back on her seat contemplatively. "I like her." She finally decided.

.

Aside from an awkward moment when both she and Beck reached for the bill at the same time, Jade thought their lunch date had gone well.

But Beck wasn't finish with the slumming of Jade West. Their dinner was followed by an impromptu tour of the neighborhood Beck grew up in.

Holding hands, walking around and talking non-stop, Beck and Jade looked like garden-variety tourists out to check out the sites in Hollywood.

They were both incognito: Beck, who was best known for his clean-shaven, boy-next-door look, had embraced his inner hipster and went for a hollywoodian beard. Jade, on the other hand, had stuffed her hair inside a baseball cap she found inside Lucy's glove compartment and hid her trademark eyes behind big, dark glasses.

"Down that street is this fantastic food truck that serves killer tacos. Man, I miss those!" Beck told Jade excitedly. "Unfortunately, it's parked right across a school zone."

"So?"

"So?" Beck asked, as if Jade was slow. "It's a school zone. Ever since I started _Hollywood Arts Confidential_, I can't cross school zones without causing a minor riot."

Jade rolled her eyes. "Popular people problems."

"You should talk," Beck playfully elbowed her. "But, good news! The kids should be tucked safely inside their classrooms so us grown ups can come out and play." He wiggled his eyebrows. "You game for some tacos?"

"Tacos? We just ate!"

"Correction: _I_ just ate; but I always have room for The Grub Truck's tacos." He replied haughtily. "You, on the other hand, micromanaged your salad until they only served you torn out pieces of leaves, none of which reached your lips after torturing them with your fork."

"The Grub Truck?" Jade wrinkled her nose. "I don't think I wanna eat something from some food company called The Grub Truck."

"Come on!" Beck started dragging her. "The point of this exercise—"

"There is a point in this exercise?" Jade snorted but let herself be tugged along.

"The point," Beck gave her a mock glare. "Is for you to try living the life of the other side."

"The other side," Jade rolled her eyes. "You make it sound as if I'm from the afterlife."

"There it is!" Beck, his face alight with the joy of a little boy on Christmas eve when he saw the bright sign proudly bearing the food cart's name. He began tugging Jade more insistently. "Come on, come on, come on!"

"If you start hopping up and down, I'm outta here," Jade told him, only half-serious, as they came to a stop before a step van remodified to be a food cart.

"Why if it isn't Beck Oliver!" A middle-aged man with dark, greasy hair pulled back in a pony tail greeted them from inside The Grub Truck. Jade couldn't place his accent, which was a feat considering the amount of traveling she did.

"Hey, Festus!" Beck grinned.

"Welcome back!" Festus replied.

"Jade, this is Festus, owner/cook/wait staff of The Grub Truck. Festus, Jade."

"You know where to pick up all the good-looking ladies, eh?" Festus wink.

Jade's eyes widened at Beck.

"He's kidding! He's kidding!" Beck was quick to assure the girl.

Jade shook her head but gamely let it go. "So what's cooking?" She asked the weirdo inside the van.

"The lunch time's over so I just have the burritos, the bagels, the tacos—"

"Oh! That's great! We'll have the tacos!" Beck interrupted.

"I was not finished yet!" Festus suddenly snapped.

Jade took an involuntary step back in surprise. She was about to snap back when Beck squeezed her arm in reassurance.

"Sorry about that," he told Festus calmly. "So what else you've got?"

"That's it." Festus admitted. "The burritos, the bagels, and the tacos."

"Okay," Beck grinned. "We'll have two tacos."

"I swear, Beck Oliver, you know the strangest people," Jade told him after Festus went to the belly of his truck to start their meal.

"_I _know the strangest people?" Beck guffawed. "Have we forgotten about Sinjin?"

"Sinjin isn't strange," Jade rebutted. "He's Sinjin."

"I find your defense of your BFF cute."

"I am not cute!" Jade snapped.

"So Sinjin's your BFF?"

"Oh, shut up!" She poked Beck at his side for emphasis.

"You're asking for it now!" Was Beck's only warning as he grabbed Jade and started tickling her sides.

"Stop, Beck!" Jade protested as she tried to wiggle out of Beck's grasp. "Stop it this instant! You're so childish! Beck!"

"You know what to say to make it stop."

"Uncle! Uncle! Beck, I'm serious! Stop it! Uncle!"

When Beck eventually stopped teasing her, Jade found herself in the boy's strong embrace, their faces mere inches apart.

And suddenly, she was reminded of all those cheesy romance novels her former guidance councilor made her read (allegedly to help her develop empathy).

Their eyes met and (Jade would deny this last part to her dying days) their lips, as if on their own accord, seemed to draw closer and closer to each other's.

Slowly, Jade's eyes fluttered close.

"Ahem."

For the second time that day, Beck and Jade sprang apart, as if shocked.

"Your tacos are ready." Festus declared as he offered two neatly-wrapped packages.

Beck took them before reaching for his wallet.

"I got this." Jade interjected before Beck could pay.

"But you already paid for lunch."

"As I've said, you're my tour guide for the day," Jade reasoned out as she handed money to Festus. "So it's my treat."

Beck shrugged unconcernedly. "We'll see you around, Festus!" He called out before handing Jade her own taco.

Jade smiled at Beck, relieved that he was not going all macho on her on who should pay.

Truth be told, she was a little worried about him. He had forsaken looking for jobs to take her places and yet he still insisted on paying his way, which may deplete his meager savings.

Thus, she rationalized, the least she could do is to insist on paying. She didn't mind: she was used to hangers-on who wouldn't even dream of offering to pay for anything, thinking that just because Jade's a gazillionaire, she ought to do the spending.

That was why Beck, loathe as she was to admit it, impressed her.

"So are you going to eat your taco or are you just gonna stare at it?" Beck asked as the two of them meander around the streets of Hollywood, shoulder to shoulder.

Jade shrugged as she unwrapped her food. She sniffed it. "I don't know. The Grub Truck doesn't look that sanitary to me."

"Are you sure that that's your problem?" Beck teased. "Or you won't eat it because you're," his voice dropped an octave lower. "A vegan?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jade demanded.

A couple of hours later, tired (Jade) and full (Beck, because he was not able to convince her to take even a tiny bite of the taco), Jade found herself staring at a large, silver monstrosity.

She gaped. "You live in an RV?"

"Yep," he said proudly. "I call her The Silver Streak."

Jade was successful in holding back an eye roll. Of course he would name that hideous contraption.

"I usually park at my parent's driveway," he was saying. "But right now, this is my manager's curb."

"You're worse than a dude living in his mother's basement."

"I am not!" Beck said. "Living in an RV is perfect. If I have a location shoot, I drive in the night before then the following day, I can just roll out of bed, then straight into the hair and makeup room."

"Fine. So you're not a major loser. Just a minor one."

"I'm gonna let that go." Beck turned serious. He opened his mouth, hesitated, then bravely plowed on. "You wanna go in?" Beck asked, his eyes solemn but sincere.

Jade met Beck's eyes squarely.

She knew Beck was asking more than entering the Silver Streak; that if she entered the RV that night she would be saying yes to changing their status quo.

Slowly, Jade nodded her head. "Sure. I'd love that."

Beck gave her a grin and once again reached for her hand.

Slowly, with a pace that belied their mutual excitement, Beck and Jade made their way into the RV.

…

TO BE CONTINUED

...

_P.S. What do you think happened in Beck's RV? :) Tell me your thoughts!_


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